Fatal Flaws
by Butterfly Prospekt
Summary: It's been a month since Dean left, and Krissy is itching for a hunt. She can't survive in a normal life much longer, as much as Josephine wants her to. And when she meets another amateur hunter, that decision is made for her: hunting is in Krissy's blood, and she has a legacy to hold up.
1. Incurable

_**A/N: **__Hey, guys! This is my first multi-chapter SPN fic. The idea came to me randomly about a week ago, since I really love Krissy and wanted to explore her character a bit more. This initial chapter is a bit of that: character development, setting up the scene. Fluff, in essence, as it's fun to write. The plot will pick up next chapter, and another character will be introduced, which will break it off of canon. However, it won't be AU, not quite. Simply canon with a tiny twist in minor characters._

_I'm not the fastest at updating, and I apologize about that. I've rated this T because of the fact that my characters always end up swearing pretty heavily at some point in time or another. Obviously, I don't own Supernatural._

_I hope you enjoy!_

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**I : Incurable**

_They say time heals all wounds, but they're wrong._

Krissy lay upon her bed, staring up at the ceiling. A pre-calculus textbook was open flat beside her —test tomorrow, but what did she care? What could she care? It had been one month already, and nothing had happened. She still dreamed about her family ripped to pieces. She still dreamed of Victor putting that gun to his head.

But those dreams were infrequent. They weren't the ones that dominated her mind, the ones that had her dreading sleep.

In those, she found the monsters that had hurt her family, and she tore them apart. Little by little. So violent, so bloody. She enjoyed those dreams, and that was why they scared her.

She was itching for a hunt.

Krissy rolled over and tried to study the formulas once more. But imaginary numbers were just that, imaginary, and she was thinking of very real, very tangible things. It didn't matter that most people didn't believe in monsters; they were still corporeal, more than any imaginary numbers would ever be.

She'd been good the past month. Listened to Dean's advice, kept her promise that she'd made to him. She wanted to make him proud; he was the closest thing to a father she had left. She'd already gone through two father figures — why did she still cling to the hope that one might actually survive? And that that one might be Dean Winchester, for God's sake? Dean had already died too many times, and one day, he would die for good.

What then?

Krissy didn't like to think about that.

She just wished she could make Dean proud some other way than this.

She hated all of it. She hated AP Physics and pre-calculus finals and ten-page reports on King Lear. She hated this semblance of a normal life when it was plain she, Josephine, and Aiden would never be normal. They couldn't be, not after all they'd seen and done.

And couldn't stop doing.

Krissy's machete hadn't left its box the entire month, but she had touched it a few times. Thought about lifting it out and just looking for some vampires. Seeing their blood as they died.

She always stopped herself, hearing Dean's voice in her head. Seeing Sam and everything he had lost.

She kept telling herself she was making the right choice.

Was she?

Krissy fell asleep on top of the math textbook, still in day clothes, and she dreamt of vampires' heads rolling.

**xxxxxx**

"You've got food? Clothes? Gas money? Are you ready for those finals?"

"Yes, Garth," Josephine said placatingly. She smiled a little. "We're fine, don't worry."

Garth still had to take one last sweep of the house, making sure they were safe. That was why Krissy liked him: he cared.

She just couldn't like him too much. Liking people made it too complicated. She already had Josephine, Aiden, and Dean to worry about, and maybe even Sam. She did not need to add another.

"All right, then," Garth said. "I'll be off, you idjits."

"Bye, Garth."

"See you."

"Sayonara."

He left.

Krissy thought for a moment she might throw herself at him and beg him to take her with him. She wanted to hunt, and he was a hunter. She could help him; she actually knew what she was doing. But she kept quiet, because she could feel Aiden's gaze.

She still didn't understand Garth's fondness of the word "idjits." His voice wasn't quite right for it, and he never used it in the perfect context ... not that she knew what the perfect context was. She was always meaning to ask him, but, somehow, she never got around to it.

Idjits.

Huh.

Josephine locked the door after Garth was gone. "He hovers a bit, don't you think?"

"He comes once a week, Jos." Krissy found herself defending the elder hunter. It was in her nature. She definitely did not have a hero complex, but she always seemed to stick up for anyone and everyone, so long as they were good and human.

"He's fine by me if he doesn't start telling us what to do," Aiden put in. He was leaning against the wall, arms folded. He was in that phase of pretending he was oh-so-amazing. Sometimes, it had Krissy wanting to punch him. Well, most of the time. The other small percentage of the time, she wanted to tell him he was adorable.

She only ever carried out the first.

They all made their way back into the kitchen nook where they did most of their homework. Or, rather, said they would do homework. Only Josephine ever seemed to get anything school-related done.

Aiden would just ramble on and maybe draw a bit, then complain that he needed to stretch his legs. He wouldn't come back to finish the homework he'd never even started. And Krissy? She opened her books and stared blankly at the pages, then just started to read something else. Action novels might actually teach her useful fight maneuvers; whether or not split infinitives were okay, on the other hand, would do her no good.

At the moment, it was her history textbook open.

_Four score and seven years ago..._

Good God, she'd read over that speech so many times, and her mind still refused to make enough out of it that she could formulate into a report. Instead, she let her eyes wander. To Josephine.

Her friend was writing furiously on a heavy piece of paper.

College application, no doubt.

Krissy had seen her search history: Stanford, Harvard, Yale, MIT, all the way to the state colleges. Josephine seemed to be leaning towards Harvard, but she was looking at them all, even the local community colleges.

Yeah, that was just like Josephine.

Out of the three of them, Josephine was the one who wanted to put the hunting life behind them the most. She was constantly studying or reminding them to study. She talked about boyfriends, settling down, PhDs in medicine, and maybe kids someday. Nowhere did hunting fit into that equation.

Which Krissy didn't understand. She herself always wanted to hunt, was always thinking about it. To her, it wasn't just a hobby, it was a deeply ingrained instinct. She had to try hard to fight it. And she couldn't just forget it all and pretend everything was A-okay.

_Once you know, you can't unknow._

"Whose turn is it to make dinner?" Aiden asked out of the blue, slamming his textbook shut.

"If you're so eager, go ahead," Krissy told him. Truth be told, he wasn't an amazing cook, but he loved it. He always looked so happy when playing around with food, and so she always let him take her turn for that reason.

Well, that and she was an abysmal cook. She could make toast and ramen. And so was the extent of her cooking skills.

Okay, she could butter the toast, too, on a good day. Mac 'n' cheese if her life depended on it. Thank God it never did.

She didn't have to worry, because Aiden immediately went to go pantry-diving, looking for something creative to turn into something that should not by any means be edible but always was.

Meanwhile, Krissy cleared her throat at Josephine. "How's the application going?"

Josephine dropped her pen and stared. "You—"

"Good luck with Harvard, though I know you can do it."

"Krissy, how do you know?" Josephine was horrified, scrambling to cover up her writing. "I didn't—"

"Learn to clear your history," Krissy said. "Computer safety 101."

Josephine was too taut to laugh. Instead, she sighed ever so slightly. "Are you mad about it?"

"No. Just disappointed you'll be leaving, is all."

In truth, Krissy was a little angry. She, Josephine, and Aiden made the perfect hunting trio. She herself had the drive and the leadership skills; Josephine was smart and good at research and lore; and Aiden was the tactician, brilliant at strategizing. (Probably only half of that talent was natural. Krissy suspected he'd learnt the rest of it from video games.)

It didn't matter why. It just meant that the only future Krissy could see was one that involved dead monsters and all three of them together.

Just like she had told Dean, she didn't like the circumstances that brought them together, but it all did feel right.

They sat in silence for the next few moments, after which Aiden brought three plates of enchiladas. In tomato sauce.

"Is this supposed to be...?" Josephine trailed off, picking apart the concoction with her fork.

"Enchilada marinara?" Krissy grinned at him. "That's a new one."

"Just try it. It's amazing."

Aiden certainly didn't lack self-confidence.

But Krissy took a bite all the same, and, surprisingly, it was good. Really good. She frowned at the plate. "This should not be edible."

"You're faulting it for being exquisite? God, Krissy, don't judge. You know, coexist and all that? Just because it's awesome and you're not doesn't mean you need to hate it. Tolerance, man." Aiden smirked.

"It's an enchilada in marinara sauce, idiot, and it actually tastes good. Goes against the laws of science. I am not going to coexist with that." Krissy chucked a roll at him. A sweet Hawaiian one, in fact.

This meal was a Frankenstein of the last of their pantry. Someone would have to go to the store soon.

"So, where did you get your inspiration for this?" Josephine asked in a mild tone, breaking up the beginnings of what would soon turn into a food fight.

"It's called 'there was the stuff for an enchilada, but not enchilada sauce?'" Aiden answered her like a question.

"Was there spaghetti?"

"There was penne."

"Why didn't you make that?"

"Because I felt like enchiladas! Dude, you are no fun whatsoever. None at all, I tell you."

Amid all that, Krissy had an idea. Their moods were lightened; she might stand a chance of convincing them. She knew always to propose ideas when their mouths were full of good food and they were laughing.

"Hey, do you guys want to hunt sometime?"

Aiden and Josephine's argument stopped dead. They both stared. Josephine carefully set down her silverware; Aiden's fork paused halfway to his mouth.

"Hunt?" he repeated.

"Yeah, hunt. You know, kill evil things that go bump in the night?"

Josephine said, "No."

"But—" Krissy began.

"Absolutely not. We are living a normal life here, Krissy. Dean and Sam gave us a good chance, probably the last we'll ever get. We can't waste it."

"I don't want a normal life, Jos. I want to hunt."

Josephine scowled and stood. "No, Krissy. It's dangerous and it hasn't gotten us anywhere in the past. Just forget about it."

"Can you forget about it?" Krissy knew that statement was the first brick on a long, treacherous road. Did she want to continue paving it? None of them wanted to think about what had happened before.

"With time, I might," Josephine said through tight, annoyed lips.

Krissy shook her head. "No, you won't. You never will. You still think about it as much as you did a month ago. Admit it."

"I don't want to have to anymore! That's the whole point!" Josephine's control evaporated in that moment.

"I'm going, then. With or without you. I am going on a hunt and you have no authority to stop me. Don't tell me age, because it's one year. And we are a team. So if you don't want in, don't come. But don't be surprised if you find me researching."

Josephine walked away without another word, frustration written in every line of her body.

Aiden was left at the table, pushing around the pieces of his enchilada marinara. "So, hunting?"

"Yeah," Krissy said, softer this time.

He smiled a little. "A hunt wouldn't be so bad."

"So you'll come?" She reminded herself not to get her hopes up.

"I don't know, Kris. Part of me wants to. The other part tells me there is no way in hell I am picking up a machete ever again. I kinda want normal, sometimes. I've got friends at school and a chance at a scholarship. If I don't mess this up..."

"Please, Aiden." Krissy was desperate. The aching for a hunt was stronger than ever, and she needed to sate her thirst. She couldn't hold out much longer, promise to Dean or no. "It wouldn't be full time. We'd still go to school. I'm just itching to kill a monster. Maybe once a week? That's less often than your soccer practice."

He grinned at that. "Maybe."

"Come on."

Giving her a glare, he said, "Okay."

Krissy stood and hugged him and, instead of thanking him, said, "You should make enchilada marinara again."

**xxxxxx**

"Blood completely drained, puncture wounds ... this is too easy."

"Vampires are easy."

Aiden sat at Krissy's desk, scrolling through obituaries. Krissy did the same sprawled out on her bed.

It was depressing work. Often she found herself deflating and sinking into the plush blue pillows. She loved her room. Victor had bought her everything she wanted for it, and while those memories left a bitter taste in her mouth, the place was still nice. Neutral blue-and-green comforter, colors not too bright or accusatory. A modern styled desk and bedframe. Pillows so soft and squishy they could almost be blankets if you stretched them out enough. A bookcase lining one wall. Action novels. Krissy did not do romance. No, sir.

Yeah, she loved her room.

Even when she'd lived with her dad, her room hadn't been quite right. They never had the money for her to have this kind of design freedom. She made do with a poster or two, then, to take care of the individuality aspect. Now, she could do whatever she wanted, because there was no one to tell her she couldn't.

The perks of having no guardian.

On the other hand, it was terrible, and Krissy found herself thinking about that side of things so much more.

She had memories of death. She knew how to shoot a gun and how to use a machete, like no sixteen-year-old should. She had already gone through two father figures. Now she had no one for advice. Sometimes she wanted someone to yell at her so she would know she didn't have to be in control all the time. Most kids got two more years than she had of figuring out how to make their own choices. And most kids' parents still yelled at them even after they turned eighteen.

Krissy? She had none of that. Just friends and a whole lot of freedom.

And freedom could be just as stifling as restriction at times.

"So, there's an obvious werewolf here," Aiden said, slicing into the silence that had formed.

"Obvious? Nope. Too easy. I want a challenge."

"_Oka-ay_, Ms. Picky. How about a skin walker?"

"Please."

"You find a hunt, then, if you're so hard to please!"

"What do you think I'm doing?"

Aiden and Krissy were two parts of a brilliant trio. They were. But, somehow, spats like this always seemed to happen. It was inevitable with two teenagers, especially when both were so smart and confident.

"All right, how about this?" Krissy asked. "Looks like there's some sort of ghost at work here. We'd have to do some research, and then it would be just a simple salt-and-burn. Simple, but not easy. And it's different than normal."

"If it satisfies Your Majesty over there—"

"Shut your face before I rip it off."

"Whoa, there. Save that enthusiasm for the hunt."

Krissy threw a pillow at him.

_Idiot._

**xxxxxx**

The school day was somewhat more painful than usual, due to the fact that Josephine was pissed, to say it briefly.

She didn't say anything that wasn't necessary, and when she did talk, her words weren't cruel. But Krissy could feel the disapproval that came off her in waves.

At the end of the day, after seven boring hours of class, Krissy hoped her friend might be softened up a bit. With normal friends and tests galore, maybe Josephine would be a little more willing...?

She, Krissy, and Aiden met at Roger's old car after the last bell. Krissy decided to get straight to the point.

"You don't want to hunt at all?"

All her hopes had been false, because Josephine nearly blew steam out her ears.

"What the hell, Krissy?"

Krissy found herself backing up a step involuntarily.

"I do. God knows I do. I want it, too. But I can't do it, because I know the moment I touch a weapon I'll be sucked up into that black hole again. I've got a chance, and I'm going to take it. I can't let myself ruin my life, not when I've got other options." Now there was a vulnerability in Josephine's tone that they didn't often hear.

"How do you know it would ruin it?"

"Name one hunter that's old and happy. Name one that has friends and lives around people. Name one that is neither senile nor violent and has a family."

"Well."

"Exactly. You can't. I want a family and I don't want to be dead or crazy by the time I'm fifty. Hunting will do that to me, so I'm not going to let it. Do you get that?"

Finally, Krissy did. She wouldn't bother Josephine any more.

But she was still going on that hunt.

She and Aiden sat on the floor in her room, discussing tactics about how to get information.

"Dude, no," Aiden said vehemently. "You are too short to be FBI."

"And you're too cocky."

"Like that Dean guy you love so much isn't? Geez."

"Whatever. Uh, journalists for the school newspaper, then?" That was something more like their age, right?

Aiden raised an eyebrow at her. "Yeah, and there's an obit section in the school newspaper that needs to know about odd sounds and sights in the vic's house."

"Well—"

"I still say cousins."

Krissy saw the logic in that, though she'd been hoping for something more professional. However, she knew when to stand down. She had to, being the daughter of a hunter and the friend of Josephine. "Fine. Cousins it is."

"All right. We go interrogate that landlady tomorrow, then. You gonna make it that long, with your hunting withdrawals and all?"

Krissy knew it was a joke, but it wasn't all that funny. She wanted a hunt, and she wanted it bad.


	2. To Boldly Go

_**A/N:** Hey, guys. I did say that it takes me a while to update, but it normally doesn't take me this long ... Oh, well. Sorry for the wait. Here is Charlie's appearance. I mainly threw Krissy and her into the same story because they're my favorite examples of strong females in Supernatural. I think SPN needs a regular female who isn't a love interest, and, really, I'd be fine with either of these two. They're definitely two of my favorites._

_I had a lot of fun with the Star Wars & Trek references in this chapter. Don't own those, either._

_If I owned Supernatural, there would be a woman as a regular, so don't look at me. Also, slight language in this chapter._

* * *

**II**** : ****To ****Boldly ****Go ****Where ****Another ****Hunter ****Has ****Gone ****Before**

Josephine was trying to act like everything was normal.

It was her turn to make breakfast, and she did it like she always did. Methodically. All they had left was eggs, and so she fried them. A normal breakfast, though they'd need to get shopping soon.

Krissy and Aiden weren't up yet. Though neither of them weren't morning people, eleven o' clock was still a little late for them. Josephine knew why; they'd stayed up late last night, planning their hunt.

Just that knowledge made Josephine angry. No - anger wasn't the first emotion that sprung up inside of her when she thought of their hunt. The first was longing, the second hunger, and then an odd sort of desperation. But she knew that, no matter what, she could not hunt. She couldn't get sucked into that world again. She was going to college, she was going to get out of this life ... Garth had told her that no one had before. And Josephine was determined to be the first.

The anger that she felt came out of the fact that she couldn't fill that hunger, stop that longing.

She knew exactly what Krissy was talking about when she said she needed to hunt. Hell, she felt that, too.

She was just smarter than Krissy, in a way. She wouldn't let that get to her. She'd killed a newly-made vampire, an innocent one, out of a thirst for revenge. She hadn't even been looking at the logic, the facts ... how many innocent things had she killed? Though it went against the grain to think of any monster as innocent, she knew that she shouldn't have killed them. And if she hunted once again, that deep-seated rage would accompany it. Along with her chances of ever going to college, living a normal life, kids, taxes, a job ... all those would go down to nothing.

_When __Krissy __asks __again__, __because __she __will__, __you __tell __her __you __don__'__t __want __to __go__._

Josephine knew it was wrong to lie, but it was even more wrong to kill innocents. So she told herself it was all right.

She slid the eggs onto two plates. For Krissy and Aiden. She'd woken up at seven and had already eaten. Just a piece of toast; when she cooked, she made sure Krissy and Aiden got the best, so that they could never accuse her of being a bad cook. Her cooking was always immaculate to them, because she hid all the slip-ups and burnt edges and undercooked pieces on her plate. She didn't do it because she was selfless; she did it because if she gave Aiden a burnt piece of anything, he would bitch and she couldn't stand his bitching. Of course, it would be all good-natured - they all loved each other - but, even so, Josephine had a short fuse. She didn't test her limits.

She put the plates on the table and went to wake her siblings up. Yes, they were her siblings. They'd become them. At first, it had felt traitorous to her little sister, who'd been murdered by the vampire, to think of them as siblings. But being the older sister was something that came naturally to Josephine, and so she just was. Now, with Victor gone, she was the oldest. And the most responsible. That was from years and years of taking care of her little sister while her parents worked. Krissy and Aiden were not too much younger than her, but they were still immature, still her little siblings, and she would act accordingly.

One sharp knock on each of their doors. That was all it took to wake them up, and then she was downstairs again before she had to listen to all their tired grumbling.

She'd have to listen to enough of it when they came downstairs.

Josephine steeled herself for the oncoming storm. She wanted to go on the hunt, but she couldn't. She wanted them not to go on the hunt, but she couldn't stop them. She wanted hunting to not exist altogether, but that wasn't possible. So she had to deal as best as she could.

**xxxxxx**

Krissy woke to Josephine banging on her door, and she remembered. It was time to hunt.

Though part of her still wished Josephine would come, the rest of her was just excited. It almost didn't matter anymore who was coming. Because she would be going on a hunt, and it would feel great. She'd kill some monster, release some of this tension, and stop fighting her instincts. All in all, it sounded like a good day to her.

If Josephine wanted to miss out on it all, then, well, that was Josephine for you. The girl who stayed home and studied while Krissy and Aiden went to some other person's party, since there was no adult to stop them.

Krissy dressed herself in non-assuming attire. Clothes that a middle-aged landlady would trust. Most adults saw a teenager and immediately didn't trust them, but, as Krissy had figured out, just the right look could work wonders. Appearance really did matter at some points in time. And, while she didn't care too much about what she looked like, she knew what to wear when it mattered.

Aiden was coming down the stairs at the same time as she was. She glanced over him to make sure he was acceptable, too; like always, he was. He was much more capable than she gave him credit for, but, secretly she was just hoping for a chance to one-up him. They had an ongoing competition, who was better. She didn't know why it had started, just that, early on, they had decided that one of them had to be better.

Josephine, per usual, kept well away from all of that.

And that was just as well, because somebody actually had to be responsible, and Krissy didn't fancy that, though she could if she had to.

She could do anything if she had to.

Her father, Dean, and even Victor had trained her for that.

Just like she'd gotten Dean to admit, she was a good actress.

"Hey," she said brightly to Aiden. Much happier than usual, because today she was going to _hunt_.

He laughed at her. "Calm down."

She shoved him down the stairs, not too hard, and they both stumbled into the kitchen. Josephine was nowhere to be seen, but there were two plates of eggs, still steaming a bit, on the table.

"Leave it to Josie to be this reliable," Aiden said, sliding unceremoniously into his chair. "Thanks, Jos!" He let the second part carry, and from across the hall, they heard a muffled, "You're welcome."

Maybe Josephine was angry at them, but, Krissy realized, that wouldn't change anything else. Maybe that was why Josephine could hold out on hunting - she didn't let her feelings, her grudges take control of her life. Krissy knew that would be a useful skill, but she also knew it was one at which she would never be proficient.

Emotions ruled her, and she had no trouble admitting it.

And the eggs were good.

When Krissy was done eating, she went to clean herself up. A nondescript, innocent hairstyle. No make-up. And then she tucked a ziploc bag of salt, a silver knife, and an iron chain into her jacket. None of the weapons were of the magnitude that could actually help too much — she'd definitely need more salt and a longer, stronger piece of iron. But, if they ran into the ghost, it would be enough to buy them a little time. Putting anything larger inside a woman's jacket, without even inside pockets, would start to bulge and draw attention.

And that defeated the purpose.

Krissy glanced at herself in the mirror, checking whether or not she looked the part. She decided she did, but she didn't really know. Before Victor had died, and even when her father had been alive, it was the adults that did the research most of the time. Of course, Victor had them set up and research an entire hunt, just for the experience, but that was a while ago and only once. Krissy was afraid she'd do something wrong. She had to be thorough.

_You__'__re __worrying __too __much_, she told herself, and went downstairs before she could get indecisive again.

And Josephine was waiting.

That surprised Krissy. She hadn't expected Josie to say goodbye to her. In fact, she'd expected her to become a hermit for the morning, refusing to have any interaction with them.

"Jos," she said. "Hey."

"You still going on that hunt?"

Krissy laughed, almost rueful. "Yeah, we are. And you can't stop us."

"I know. Just, stay safe, okay? Because if you die and turn into ghosts, you're going to force me to hunt. And you don't want that, do you?"

"The hunting would be good for you," Krissy said, laughing for true this time. "And before you ask, yes, I've got salt, iron, and silver."

"Holy water?"

"I don't think it's a demon—"

Josephine snorted. "Be prepared! My God, Krissy, did Vic — did your dad teach you anything?"

Krissy noted the slip-up in her friend's words but decided not to say anything about it. "You're right," she allowed. "HEY AIDEN, bring a bottle of holy water!"

"Don't yell at him; go up the stairs and talk to him."

"Don't mother me."

"Well, seeing as you won't do the mothering yourself, someone—"

Aiden came down the stairs loudly, then, a metal bottle of holy water rattling in his bag. A messenger bag. "Ladies, ladies," he said. "Let's all just take a deep breath..."

Krissy wanted to shoot back a nasty retort, but she knew that, though he was not going about it the right way, he was right. She breathed in deeply, and so did Josephine.

"If Krissy dies out there, Josephine, you can't let your last words to her be 'someone has to do the mothering.' What sort of farewell is that?"

"Get out of here before I accidentally kill both of you," Josephine said. "And stay safe. I have an essay to write."

They both laughed at that and obliged, Krissy nearly running out the door because of her excitement. There was so much energy inside of her, the rush that came with hunting. Even if today was only research, she was still back in the game. And that felt great.

She hopped in the driver's seat of Victor's old car before Aiden could claim it and pulled out of the driveway.

"Did you bring an EMF? I forgot," she said to Aiden as they were heading to what had been the victim's place. It was a two-story house that the owner was renting out.

"Yeah, and it's a good thing, too, Ms. Forgetful."

Krissy ignored his comments. She didn't want to mess with their sense of team when they were hunting. She needed backup that she could trust completely. And while she did trust Aiden with her life, no matter what, she didn't want to be hunting with him right after a heated argument. Neither of them would be functioning at their best.

They parked at the empty house. Crime scene tape surrounded the front yard. Krissy checked to make sure there wasn't a police car in sight, and then that no one else was watching.

"Clear."

Aiden followed her under the tape and to the door. He picked the lock within seconds (He'd practiced over the past month, Krissy observed) and opened the door slowly.

"Vic got stabbed in the dining room," he said, gesturing in that direction. Krissy headed to said room.

"EMF?"

He pulled it out of his pocket and held it up. Krissy waited in anticipation ... and nothing.

Nothing.

Aiden walked around the room and into the hallway. Nothing. Krissy followed him, and they went up the stairs and down that hall. Nothing.

Aiden shrugged at her apologetically. He seemed hesitant to say anything; he knew she'd be pissed. "Maybe there wasn't anything here. I mean, I don't smell any sulfur, either." He put the EMF back in his bag.

It sure looked like it.

But damn! Krissy was hoping for a hunt. So bad. And this was a bust. There was nothing here. She wanted to scream or to punch something.

"But we should still go talk to the landlady. Better to be safe than sorry, right?" Aiden was just trying to placate her; she saw that much. He wanted this to be a real hunt because she wanted it and he was her friend.

So she nodded. "Okay. We'll do that."

But if there were no EMF readings in the whole place, it wasn't looking up.

_You__'__re __losing __your __mind_, Krissy thought. _No __sane __person __wants __ghosts __to __exist__._

But she'd come to terms with the fact that she was probably crazy ages ago.

**xxxxxx**

The landlady lived even nicer than the house that she was renting. It just spoke of someone with too much money. The lawn was impeccably kept, and there was a three-car garage. The only thing that didn't seem to fit was a not-very-fancy yellow car in the driveway.

Yellow.

_Huh_, Krissy thought.

Aiden seemed to notice it, too. But Krissy brushed it off. Dean treasured his precious Impala; maybe this rich woman treasured an old yellow car. If she believed in the supernatural, she had seen much odder things, so she could accept this.

"Who's knocking? Not it," Aiden rushed out when they were near the door. "I am not risking summoning the wrath of some rich old lady."

Krissy sighed and knocked on the tall, ornate door, holding back a laugh at him.

The sound of voices carried from inside, and then light footsteps. A few moments later, a highly manicured woman answered the door. She was probably fifty, but her skin had the carefully cultured look of someone fifteen or twenty years younger. Lipstick stood out against the paleness of her foundation.

"I don't want any. Can't you read? I have a sign. _No __Soliciting_."

"What?" Krissy said, confused. Then she recovered. _Right__. __Soliciting__._ She had brilliant hunting reflexes, but she needed to work on her acting ones. "No, we're not selling anything. We just came because we're really confused about our cousin's death. You were his landlady. Maybe you have answers for us."

The woman frowned and raised an eyebrow. "Another cousin? How big is your family? Your cousin Leia is here."

Other cousin?

They had not thought of this. Not enough planning ahead.

(And, Leia? What sort of name was Leia? At least, in this universe. Apparently some parents went ultra-nerd on their daughter. Oh, Krissy pitied that poor girl.)

The victim could have a real cousin looking for answers ... and that cousin could be here. Leia or no.

"Oh, yeah," Aiden said. "Leia. Haven't seen her in ages."

The woman gave them both suspicious looks, but she opened the door a little wider to let them in. "Take off your shoes, please."

Krissy slipped off her sneakers and kicked them into the corner of the foyer. Then she and Aiden followed the woman down the hardwood hall. When the landlady wasn't looking, she slid around a bit for fun. For the most part, she, Aiden, and Josephine kept their shoes on at home, as long as they weren't too muddy. And this hardwood floor looked like it had been shined recently - prime conditions for sliding.

Krissy called herself mature sometimes. And she could certainly carry herself as such. But she was just sixteen, and often she was very aware of the fact.

The landlady led them into a wide, open living room. No, technically, it would be a parlor, but Krissy wasn't one for technicalities. The couches were white, as were the walls, and a redheaded woman in jeans perched awkwardly on the edge of one of those couches.

"Hi, Leia," Aiden said.

Krissy had no idea what he was doing. But then she remembered - they were supposed to know this woman. "Hi," she said.

Leia had a moment's worth of surprise, but then she covered it quickly. "Jim and Nyota! It's so nice to see you guys! But - are you here about Susan?"

"Why else would we be?" Krissy said. She was beginning to get into this. Acting. She had proved Dean wrong a thousand times over by now. In fact, she was feeling quite proud of herself.

She and Aiden sat down, but as soon as they had, he whispered to her, "Dude, something's up. Jim and Nyota."

"What's wrong with that?"

"Star Trek. My God, Krissy."

"Oh."

"Don't trust this chick."

After the rushed, quiet exchange, they both straightened up, and Krissy got back to the acting. "Sorry, we're just really shaken up about Susan, you know, and we wanted some closure. She was saying some really weird stuff. About the house, so we figured you could help us."

The landlady nodded. "Yes, Leia mentioned that. Weird noises, cold spots, lights flickering ... I wasn't aware of the first few, but I don't see how I'm responsible for those. However, Susan did have me call the electrical company. She said something was wrong with her lamps. Is that what you mean?"

"Wrong how?"

"Flashing, buzzing, you know."

Since Krissy, Aiden, and Leia were all on the couch, they were stuffed close together, and Krissy could feel when Aiden straightened up a little at the landlady's words.

"Wow. It must have been scary," she said.

The old woman shrugged. "I don't see how an electrical problem is scary."

"Um, I don't know, Susan was rambling about a ghost..."

Leia looked over at her, then, brow furrowed.

There was no other explanation - this woman was a hunter.

"A ghost. Interesting. Have you investigated the possibility of your cousin's suicide, then? It sounds as if she may have been ill."

Aiden bristled at that. "Ill? You mean crazy? Susan was not crazy, and she didn't kill herself! Geez."

The landlady made a dismissive gesture. "I apologize if I offended you, but ghosts just don't exist. It has to be a symptom of mental instability." When she saw the way that Aiden looked, still a little angry, she said, "Maybe you should leave. I don't think I can help you."

Krissy nudged Aiden, telling him that they would do as she said. They both stood, and Leia followed. "Thanks for your time, ma'am," Krissy said.

"You're welcome." The woman didn't seem very welcoming as she shepherded them out her door. Once they were all out on the front step, it shut abruptly behind them.

"Well then," Aiden said.

Leia started laughing.

Krissy took a moment to calculate her next move. If this woman really was a hunter, what was she supposed to say? Leia didn't look like a hunter. She was thin, bright, and a little bit too enthusiastic. Just the way she carried herself didn't have the rugged, pessimistic hunter vibe.

"Well, Leia, have you heard any news on Susan's funeral?" she asked carefully. Gaging this so-called 'Leia's' reaction.

"Please. My name isn't Leia - though I wish it was, that would be awesome - it's Charlie. And I know you're a hunter, so you can stop beating around the bush."

"What?"

Krissy was completely taken aback. She could only hope Aiden was, too, because she didn't want to look like an idiot. But she had not expected this woman, if she was a hunter, to open up. Hunters didn't do that. Hunters didn't trust anyone. Hunters were rough and hard and wary of every movement, driven for revenge and blood and death. Yeah, even Krissy. She knew she had plenty of her own bloodlust.

"I'm a hunter. You are, too, right? Otherwise this is really awkward, sorry, just forget I said anything. Oh, my God, if you really are Susan's cousins - crap. Sorry. Wrong person. I thought you were someone else. Why'd you let me call you Star Trek names, though, and-"

"Whoa, wait," Aiden said, holding up his hands. "We're hunters. And I think the Star Trek was a nice touch."

Charlie smiled wide, then. "Awesome. I haven't found another hunter who likes Star Trek yet." She made a symbol with her hands, splitting her fingers in a way Krissy thought looked painful and impossible. "Live long and prosper?"

"Thanks?" Krissy said, watching Charlie's hands.

But when she looked at Aiden, he was doing the same thing as the other hunter.

"For God's sake, Krissy, _now_ will you watch Star Trek with me?"

"Do it," Charlie interjected. "It's amazing."

Krissy sighed. "Guys, what about the ghost?"

Aiden rolled his eyes at her. "Dude, don't be such a downer. You know, Star Trek spoke of a utopia in which-"

"Yeah, well, this ain't gonna turn into a utopia if you let this freaking ghost live, so let's gank it." Gank it. She was talking like Dean now, she noted. And she liked that. Dean wasn't a bad role model.

Charlie had an odd look on her face. "You sound like someone I know."

Krissy almost smiled. "Yeah, I sound like someone I know, too. I guess those sort of people just are memorable."

"No, not necessarily. Do you know Dean Winchester? If you're a hunter, you've got to at least know of him."

Her eyes went huge, and she stared at the older -though still quite young- hunter. Dean. Charlie knew Dean. Suddenly, she felt more compelled to trust her. Dean was a suspicious, hard man. The epitome of that twisted, pessimistic hunter type. The people he chose to know and trust were few and far apart, even among hunters. Dean was just a private guy.

"Yeah, I know Dean," Krissy said.

She hadn't seen him in a month, but she knew him. She missed him, even though she hated to admit it. As many time's as she'd called him lame and old, well ... she missed him. She missed her dad. She even missed Victor - no, she missed having Victor when he was just a nice guy, before she knew what an evil person he was.

She missed having someone steady.

"What's your name?" Charlie asked, breaking her out of her trance. Which was good, because Krissy new it was never healthy to wallow in regret and self-absorption.

"Krissy Chambers."

"I might've heard your name before."

"Maybe. But ... but that doesn't matter. The hunt. It sounds like there's a ghost at work, because of the lights, but when we checked over the house with an EMF, we got nothing."

Charlie shook her head. "You just didn't look right. The EMF was going haywire in the upstairs bathroom. There's definitely a ghost."

Krissy glared at Aiden. "You didn't go into any of the rooms!"

"You didn't tell me to," he shot back, "and you were right there."

"Guys," Charlie said, "maybe we should get off this lady's driveway. She's kinda watching us. Don't want her to call the police or anything."

"Oh, right."

"There's a park up the street. We can talk there. Did you see it?"

Aiden nodded. "Yeah, I know where that is."

Charlie went and got into her yellow car. (Yes, Krissy could see _her_ in that car. It fit far too well. For a Trekkie and a Star Wars fan, yes. Absolutely. She was surprised Aiden didn't want one of those.)

She and Aiden climbed into Victor's car, and she let Aiden drive this time.

It was better, too, that way. Her mind was on other things.

Dean. Somebody else knew Dean - she had a link to him. She wondered where he was. He and Sam were saving the world, they said. Like they'd done before. They both had died many times, and maybe they had again. Maybe the other one was out there, wandering around aimlessly until maybe his brother got resurrected...

It was the same hope that Krissy had clung onto when her dad died. She knew that resurrection was possible. Even among normal people, didn't even have to be Messiah, or even a saint. Dean had risen - couldn't her father? Wouldn't some angel come and raise him? But, no, her dad stayed dead ... so Krissy was no stranger to that aching hope.

She couldn't change any of it. And even if Dean or Sam were dead, she couldn't change that, either.

_Worry __about __now_, she told herself.

Now, as in she now knew two Star Trek fans, and she was going to have to watch that movie. No excuses anymore.

Yes, she had big enough problems at hand.

But she was hunting, so all was good.


	3. Details and Doubts

_**A/N: **__To tell you the truth, I'm usually not this terrible at posting. I can usually get something up once every week and a half or so, never this long ─ a month and half? I'm so sorry. This summer has been very hectic and busy for me. Amazing and, all in all, just a great summer, but very busy. _

_Also, I'm going to be starting high school very, very soon. Which I expect will mean less consistent updates than before ─ though probably never of this length of a break. More homework, less time... I dunno at this point. Kinda scared about high school in reality, both its social aspects and the lack of time..._

_ANYWAY. Enough with all this rambling. Here's your chapter, long overdue. **W**__**arnings: **mentions of suicide. Swearing. __  
_

_Don't own SPN._

* * *

**III: Details and Doubts**

Krissy and Aiden followed Charlie's obnoxious yellow car down the street. This time, Aiden was driving. He'd made sure of that.

"So, suddenly you trust that chick?" he said, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel.

"She knows Dean." Krissy avoided giving a straight answer. She wanted to trust Charlie, simply because of that link, but she knew that trust was not something to be given away quickly. They all had experience with that, and, frankly, it was not something she wanted to repeat. On one hand, though, Charlie was nothing like Victor, and neither were the circumstances under which they'd met. "Maybe she can help us on the hunt. We'll leave it at that for now."

"If she does help?"

"Then we'll take it from there. I don't know, Aiden. We'll see." She stared out the window. Thinking. Maybe it was time they found another hunter to team up with. After, all they were all teenagers still. Homeowners, business people, _everyone_ was wary of them. An adult could be useful. They couldn't pose as FBI agents. Too short. Too young. Not enough money to buy suits ...

"I mean, she likes Star Trek, but still. Be careful. I bet Dean knows lots of less than perfect people."

"Yes, I _know_, Aid ─ dude. You just missed the turn. Pay attention to that car. It can't be that hard. It's bright yellow."

Aiden swore and hastily turned into a driveway so he could go back the other way, and, this time, missed the turn. He then began to rant about distractions while driving.

Krissy smiled a little. She liked it when their interactions were normal. When they were talking about stupid things. Driving. Homework. Food. And that was what she didn't understand about herself ─ sometimes, she wanted to hunt. She wanted to kick some monster ass and help the world. But, yet, other times, she wanted to be a normal teenager, contribute to society in exactly zero ways, and argue with her best-friend-brother-hunting-partner hybrid.

"Earth to Krissy. The park's here. Get out."

She made a face at him and opened the car door, slamming it a little more forcefully than she'd meant to. Aiden looked at her funny, but they both saw Charlie by a picnic table a little ways away and went to meet her. The older woman ─if you could call her that─ was leaning against the table languidly, and she waved at them with a smile.

_God, she's enthusiastic._

"So," Aiden said when they reached her, drawing out the word. "You were going to explain what's up with that ghost?"

"Yep!" It was almost unnerving, how Charlie could talk about hunting like it was something simple, everyday, and exciting. Like it was a game, not life or death, not a job. "I went there yesterday. With an EMF. I was really thorough, though, because, to be honest, I haven't really dealt with a ghost before─"

"No ghosts? Never?" Krissy repeated, amazed. "But they're ... they're elementary. The building blocks, you know."

She was quoting Victor, she realized, and that sent a sharp wave of anger through her. Though he'd been an evil man ─he'd killed her parents! She hated him, she did, she was glad he was dead─ but she couldn't deny he'd been a good hunter. A great one. His advice had been sound. And that never ceased to piss her off.

Victor had no right to be both evil and smart. Why were the worst people the smartest? He knew just how to get to her, to Aiden and Josephine...

_Pay attention to Charlie. _She cut into her own thoughts, blocking them off. _You're on a hunt. This isn't the time to wallow in self-pity._

"Well," Charlie was saying, looking a bit sheepish, "I haven't been hunting for all that long. But I do have experience! I saved Dean and Sam's asses twice."

Krissy could appreciate that. "Same." She grinned.

Charlie shrugged. "To be fair, they saved mine, too."

"Yeah."

"Guys." Aiden cleared his throat. "The ghost?"

"Right. Yeah. Sorry." Charlie straightened up. Was she trying to be professional? It wasn't working. She wasn't wearing the right clothes for it ─ she wasn't the right person for it. She had an air of energy and warmth that most business people didn't have.

_She wouldn't make a very good FBI agent, either_, Krissy noted with chagrin. _Too perky._

"But, as I was saying, I did check every room for any sign. The EMF was silent, except for that bathroom upstairs. Which I find odd. They say the girl was found in the dining room."

"Maybe she dragged herself there," Aiden said. "Trying to call 911, or something."

"Wouldn't she have dripped blood?"

"Not necessarily. She could've put pressure on the wound and made it downstairs, then finally have lost enough blood to die."

Krissy wondered if Aiden knew these things from school or cop shows on TV.

"Or," she said, wanting to put in her input, "it wasn't something supernatural. It could've been a person. Maybe there's a haunting in her bathroom, but maybe it didn't harm her."

_Your mind is just on evil people today. Is there something wrong with you? Can't you be optimistic and just think it's something bad by nature? _

_Stop it. _She commanded the thoughts away. They weren't helping.

Aiden and Charlie were both inspecting her like they were worried or confused. "Dude," Aiden said, "I don't think so. There weren't any fingerprints or anything. The cops are clueless."

"Gloves?" Krissy suggested.

"What's with you? Why are you so set on it being a human? It's a ghost, Krissy. You wanted it to be a ghost."

_Yes, he's right. You want it to be a ghost. This is a hunt. Stop being so pessimistic._

"I'm just going through all the options," she told him, her voice terse, more so than she'd wanted it to be.

All the while, Charlie's eyes were flicking between the two of them, concern barely concealed in her expression. It made Krissy slightly uncomfortable.

"Both of your theories are possible," Charlie said. Just to placate them.

Krissy sighed. Aiden remained stubbornly silent.

The other hunter gave a tentative smile. "Maybe we should go check out the house again? With these ideas in mind?"

Krissy didn't have time to respond; her phone buzzed in her pocket. She took it out, not really in the mood to be texting anyone. But, when she saw it was Josephine, she knew she had to answer.

**How's the hunt going? You guys alive?**

_Man, she's such a worrier._ Krissy put her phone away. _Of course we're alive. Does she think we're so incompetent that we can't handle a ghost? She has no faith, for God's sake._

"Yeah," she said. "Let's go back to the house."

**xxxxxx**

Josephine kept telling herself that she was being unreasonable. Maybe it was just the fact that Krissy and Aiden hadn't hunted in a month period, and hadn't hunted a ghost in six ... their specialty was vampires. That would've been safe for a start. For the time being. Why couldn't they have started with something they knew? Ghosts were relatively easy, but she figured that the two may have lost their touch ... rusty with disuse ...

"You're acting like a mother," she scolded. Aloud, just because there was no one there to hear her. "They'd be annoyed if you bugged them. They can take care of themselves."

She was busying herself with mindless work. Cleaning the sheets, cleaning the dishes, sharpening the knives, reorganizing the basement ... Yet there was a nagging voice at the back of her mind that went, _One of those things isn't like the others._

She really couldn't escape hunting.

Eventually, when all the guns were cleaned and all the beds made and the pantry sorted out, she collapsed onto the couch and put her head in her hands.

If she were to be honest with herself ─and she tried to be─ she wanted to be out there with them.

But that was unreasonable.

_Just text them. Yeah. A text is acceptable. Make sure they're alive. _

She got out her phone and sent a pretty innocent text. Nothing they could get offended over. A few minutes after she sent the text, though, she heard a sound that was not reassuring at all.

Aiden's text tone.

On the coffee table across the room, his phone laid upside down, bright green and standing out like a sore thumb.

"Damn it!" Josephine stood and swore. She couldn't help herself. "You must be _blind_, Aiden!"

Krissy was more organized, though, and never went anywhere without her phone, so she was glad of that fact. And that fact only.

So she waited.

With her phone right in front of her, ringtone up as loud as it could go. So she wouldn't miss if they responded.

"God, I'm overreacting." She laughed at herself. "I know they can do this."

But they'd done it six months ago, with constant watch from Victor, with practice, with days of planning instead of ours, with Josephine herself there, the three of them together...

She shook her head and forced herself to do her calculus. Work that would actually make her think and take her mind off things. She should be focusing on college, not hunting. Something that would ensure her future, keep her safe.

Thirty problems of calculus. Enough to keep her busy for hours.

But, every so often, Josephine found herself checking the time, checking to see if Krissy had responded.

And, every time, Krissy hadn't.

_She's busy. She's hunting. Give her some time._

Eventually, she resolved her worries.

If Krissy hadn't responded in an hour, she was going after them.

She tried to tell herself that that was only out of concern for Krissy and Aiden, but, realistically, she knew she wanted to be out there with them. Hunting. Kicking some ghost's ass.

She missed the exhilaration.

**xxxxxx**

Krissy felt a strange sense of deja vu as she led the way under the crime scene tape to the front step of the victim's house. This time, in a more practical frame of mind (the newness and excitement had worn off, and she could think more clearly, albeit pessimistically) she hoped to God there would be no police coming back while they were there.

Again, Aiden picked the lock, but that was where they broke the sameness of earlier in the morning - because Charlie started chirping about how that was such a useful talent and how amazing it was he'd done it that fast.

"How'd you get in, then?" he asked, focused on the doorknob and not her.

"Oh." Charlie smiled. "I checked under the mat. She left her spare key there."

Both Krissy and Aiden turned to stare at her. "What?" Krissy said.

"Seriously?" That was Aiden.

Charlie nodded, evidently very pleased with herself. "Mmhmm!"

"But─" Aiden stumbled over his words. "That's so ... hell. Ordinary."

Krissy let herself grin. "Yeah, ordinary. Kinda sad that we're surprised by something ordinary and non-criminal. Why didn't I think of that?"

"It's okay," Charlie said. "I don't think too many people actually do hide their keys under the doormats. I do, though, so I checked. Just to make sure."

"Wow." Aiden opened the door, swept his arm out. "Ladies first."

Krissy made a face at him but went in anyway, closely followed by Charlie. Aiden sent one last glance around the neighborhood before shutting the door behind him.

"All right. What are we doing here?"

"Figuring out what happened," Krissy answered just as Charlie opened her mouth.

"So, what ideas do we have? Suicide, ghost, murder?" Aiden blew out a long breath. "Well, that's uplifting."

After a moment's silence, Charlie offered, "Just act like it's a videogame."

"What?"

"No," Krissy said. "You don't want to dehumanize the victims. You don't ever want to pretend it's a game. Then you'll be less careful with your life."

She realized with pride that those were her own words. Not her father's, not Victor's, not Dean's. Maybe the three of them had believed that, but they'd never needed to tell it to her. She took the job seriously. She always had.

Charlie was watching her with an expression that wasn't only curious. "Sorry," she said, slow, like she was choosing her words warily. "Did you ─ are you in the business of hunting because of someone you know?"

Krissy closed her eyes to stop from snapping at her. She didn't want to think about any of this. "Originally, no. I took a break. But I was dragged back in because of that, yeah."

"Oh." Charlie's happy confidence seemed to have seeped away.

"But I like it," Krissy defended. "I'm meant to do it. I get stir crazy when I'm not."

"Okay." That word came out even weaker.

"Less talk, more action, huh?" Aiden broke in. "Focus?"

"Yeah," Charlie said. "Let's."

"So we know nothing about the potential ghost, nothing about the vic, and no potential murderer?"

"That about sums it up." Krissy gave a fake-enthusiastic smile.

"Oh, I know!" Charlie bounced just a little ─ the motion was odd on a grown woman. But somehow natural. "I looked up stuff about her. She was in med school, she was twenty-nine, and she moved from Alabama two weeks ago."

"Huh," Aiden said. "Doesn't sound like your prime candidate for suicide. Med school? Nah. And if she moved two weeks ago? I don't think she'd have any enemies that quick."

Charlie chewed on her lip, then said, "Serial killer?"

Aiden raised an eyebrow at her. "Well," he said, emphasizing the word, amused. "Aren't you a ray of sunshine."

That made her laugh ─ an explosive laugh, but not a loud one. "I guess so."

Krissy sighed. They were never going to get anything done if they stood around and chatted. "What do the police think?"

"Suicide," Aiden answered. "You should know that, Kris. We looked that up yesterday. And you also know that the police don't know shit."

"They solve normal stuff all the time."

"I hate to break it to you, but this ain't normal." This time, when Aiden looked at her, it was seriously. "You okay? You're acting weird."

"Weird?" No. She just wasn't used to it all. "I'm okay, yeah."

Charlie cleared her throat. "How about we go look at the vic's bedroom? If she killed herself, there could be an indication there."

It was a smart idea, so Krissy consented, and they followed Charlie upstairs to the only bedroom there. Charlie opened the door cautiously, her hand clutching something in her pocket. But when nothing jumped out, she opened the door the rest of the way at normal speed and stepped into the room.

The bedroom wasn't anything special. Plain, white walls with a poster for some band hanging near the window. The bed was neatly made, the covers a nondescript green. There was an old, weathered desk in the corner, and a fluffy blue rug, but not much else.

"She was living Spartan," Aiden commented.

"Yeah." Krissy went to the bed, pulling back the blankets, and, finding nothing, looked underneath it. "I'm not seeing anything."

"I am," Charlie said. Her voice was grim. Just the tone was enough to bring both Krissy and Aiden over.

One word was carved onto the top of the old desk, the grooves relatively new and fresh.

**Goodbye.**

"Holy shit." Aiden bit his lip. "So she did?"

"Would make sense," Charlie said.

"But that doesn't explain the EMF in the bathroom. And the flickering lights. Maybe the ghost didn't kill her ... maybe it convinced her to kill herself. You think it could do that? We should check out the bathroom." Suddenly, Krissy was getting into hunting. It was enjoyable, now that they were making progress, even though the case itself wasn't very nice to think about.

Maybe she could do something.

"Yeah." Aiden stood up from his crouch from where he'd been studying the desk.

They made sure to close the door quietly behind them, leaving the room the same way they'd found it. Krissy was the one to open the bathroom door, the same way Charlie had opened the bedroom one. With care. There was actually a possibility that there was a ghost.

Charlie got out her EMF, which looked newer and fancier than any Krissy had ever seen. They entered the bathroom single file, as it was tiny, and had barely enough room to fit all the necessities.

Sure enough, the EMF started beeping loudly and incessantly.

"O-kay," Aiden said. "Definitely a ghost."

"But why here?" Krissy looked around. There seemed to be nothing abnormal about the bathroom whatsoever.

Then, surprising her, Aiden grinned and punched her arm. "Could be a basilisk."

"What?"

"Moaning Myrtle? You've got to have read Harry Potter?"

She scowled. "Now is not the time."

Aiden shrugged. "What I don't understand, though, is why Susan would kill herself. I mean, she was in med school, it was a new start, she obviously had enough money to rent a house for herself ... She had no reason to die. I mean, why would she? And why so violently? And─"

"Guys." Charlie's voice jumped nearly an octave. Panic colored it. "Either I'm going through menopause way _way_ early, which I really doubt ─oh, God, I hope not─ or it's getting cold in here."

Krissy shut her mouth.

Yes.

It was getting cold.

"Shit," Aiden said.

Krissy knew exactly why.

"Oh, God, I've only got a ziploc baggie of salt. Didn't bring the shotgun. That was supposed to be tomorrow. And the iron ... it's not going to ... shit."

Charlie's eyes were wide, but when she spoke it was confident and quick. "You guys think you can handle it yourselves? I stuffed my purse. I've got five extra baggies of salt and a wrought iron pan. Take it. I'll go and kill the ghost."

"You don't know where─"

"I can find it." Her eyes were alight. "Don't worry. Computers are my thing. I won't let you die. I can save your lives. You'll thank me later."

"Okay," Aiden began, but Charlie was still talking.

"Man, I've always wanted to say that ─ here. Take the bag." She practically threw her purse at Krissy, who took out the salt and started to make a circle, pulling Aiden close to her so they could save some salt. He grabbed a short iron rod that he'd had in his boots, and Krissy took out the pan.

She felt perfectly ridiculous.

"All right. Go."

Just as Charlie was running out the door, Aiden cursed and held his iron rod out.

The ghost.

It was a girl, about their age when she'd died, but not too ancient. Her clothes looked fairly recent. She had a wound in her stomach so huge that, if she'd been a newly found body, it would've been pouring blood. There were shadows under her eyes, and her hair, which had turned gray, was a mess.

"There are always reasons to die," she said.

She flickered once.

"You ready, Kris?" Aiden asked, voice wavering slightly.

"Hell yeah." The adrenaline was pumping through her. "We can take her."

The ghost came towards them.

**xxxxxx**

Josephine couldn't believe it. She was breaking her promise. She was hunting. She was hating herself for it all the while, but this was for Krissy and Aiden. They hadn't texted. She had no choice. She pulled up to the victim's house, glad they hadn't cleared their history.

There were two cars. Victor's old one. And a bright yellow one.

More alarmed than she had been, she hurried up to the door. "Crap, crap, crap, oh God, please─"

Just before she was about to open it, it opened in her face, and a tall, thin, redheaded woman came practically flying out and crashed into her.

"You the police?" the woman asked in a frantic voice.

Wordlessly, Josephine shook her head.

"Good. Awesome. That's great." The woman grabbed her arm. "Get in your car. I need you to drive. Go. Please. Now."

She figured the woman must be a hunter, and that this must be serious, so she complied. Maybe it would help Krissy and Aiden. It would be a good deed. She got in her car and started it, her hunter's instincts taking over.

The woman grabbed something from her car, which looked like a tablet, and hopped in. She was typing furiously on the tablet. "Okay," she said. "Go straight until you hit the main road. Gogogo."

Josephine went.

Then the woman looked horrified.

"Oh, God. You _are_ a hunter, right?"

* * *

_**Question: **I have a question. For those of you who don't normally review, could you just drop a quick answer? Anyway, I'm wondering what to do with this story. I could **(A)** end it pretty soon after this hunt is done, to leave it open. Short and sweet. Then I could possibly, sometime in the uncertain future, right some oneshot in the same 'verse, skipping some time. Or I could** (B)** make this into a longer, more full-length story with an over-arching plot, some appearances from Dean and Garth, and more character development. What do you think? Please leave A or B in the reviews, if you've got the time. _

_Hope you're enjoying this, and sorry for the wait!_


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